439 You are truly a fool
A bit of contempt and cruelty could be seen in Ikary's eyes as he saw Lathel rush towards the crack.
'He... wants to save Dorothy? Hahahaha... that's even better. Even though dying like that would be too easy for him, then I won't have any other obstacles.'
'Dorothy, having lost Lathel, will certainly no longer be fascinated by his magic. That way, I can make that girl listen to me.'
'And the Holy Maiden... Huh! Even though she's very beautiful, she's too difficult to control anyway, always paying attention to that trash.'
'It's good that she died. I just need to report to the church that while participating in the Genius Congress, she was in danger and died. No one needs to know what happened.'
Ikarys thought carefully; he decided to stand still and watch the three people fall into the crack. After that, the rift slowly closed as no one escaped.
Seeing this scene, Ikarys felt strange, but he didn't ask much and just smiled with satisfaction.
"It seems you are very satisfied with this result." The Eye of Puzzle spoke up.
Ikarys sneered: "Huh! Yes. Everyone died; I was the only one left alive, so... there was no one left to compete with me."
"Do you really want this?" The Eye of Puzzle frowned and asked: "There is no one to compete with you, but that also means there's no one to help you."
"Hahahaha... Do I need those trash to help me?" Ikarys smiled contemptuously: "Please, look at me. Do I look like the type of person who would need help from those idiots?"
"I just hope that those trash don't get in my way. Do you think I'll beg them for help?"
"Now, there is no one to compete with me anymore; I am the only hero in this place, hahahaha..."
The Eye of Puzzle stared at him, scaring him. It must be known that from beginning to end, the Eye of Puzzle favoured Lathel; that's why Ikarys felt that it might botch this result.
However, a moment later, the Eye of Puzzle sighed and said: "You passed this test."
Hearing that, Ikarys also breathed a sigh of relief.
"However..."
Suddenly, Eye of Puzzle continued speaking, and the word 'however' rang out, making Ikarys' heart feel like it was about to jump out of her chest.
"You still lost."
"What?! What do you mean?!" Ikarys was startled and quickly shouted.
"Because you made me unhappy." The Eye of Puzzle spoke softly.
"You..."
"You want to say that I'm biased, right?"
"That's right. I do not accept this result."
"Don't you remember what I said before I asked the first question?"
"What do you mean?"
"I just need an answer that satisfies me, not an exact answer." Eye of Puzzle replied.
Hearing that, Ikarys felt like he fell into an ice hole; his entire body became cold: "You... you can't cancel my results. I passed this test; I did not lose."
"No, you lost." Eye of Puzzle said: "Three trials, Lathel passed two, and you only passed the third. However, you left me dissatisfied with the third challenge, and in the end... you lost."
"AAA!!!" Ikarys screamed; his face was now filled with ferocity, and the veins bulging out on his face looked like tree roots: "You lied to me! You tricked me! AA!!!"
"Hahahaha... sorry, I'm a bit late." The Eye of Puzzle said smiling.
Lathel: "..."
He really wanted to cry. If he didn't have some magic items, he and these two girls would have died.
"Hurry up!" Lathel urged: "Let a girl leave this place, won't Ikarys save Arine?"
"No!" The Eye of Puzzle sighed and said: "Lathel... there is still a girl... Do you want her to live?"
"What do you mean..."
"Ikarys refused to save the girl. However, I have a way to help those two girls live, but... you have to pay a very heavy price."
"It's my death, right?" Lathel frowned and said.
Arine was startled when she heard that and quickly tried to shake her head, but she couldn't speak or move.
She could only move her head a little, so she quickly shook her head, signalling Lathel not to agree.
Dorothy frowned, trying to escape the control. However, she suddenly realised that what was controlling her was not magic but rules.
In this world, what is more terrifying than magic are rules. Magic can be destroyed; however, rules can never be destroyed.
At this point, Dorothy had given up resisting, she could only look towards Lathel. However, in that girl's eyes, there was no fear, only curiosity and expectation.
Eye of Puzzle said: "That's right. Even though you used your life to exchange for Dorothy's life, as for Arine... what do you want to use in exchange for her life?
Lathel gritted his teeth, not knowing how to respond.
The Eye of Puzzle continued: "You must choose, Lathel. Either Dorothy or Arine."
"But..." Lathel clenched her teeth and said angrily: "Is there no other way?"
"No! You must choose one of the two." Eye of Puzzle replied: "However, you can make another choice. Leave both of them, and you can continue to live and approach the Demon Lord's seal along with Ikarys."
Lathel was startled when he heard that. He glanced at Arine and Dorothy. However, in their eyes, there was no begging, only acceptance.
That's right, no matter what decision he made, they would accept it.
He felt confused. He and these two girls just met today; why are they so close and trust him?
Lathel looked at the Eye of Puzzle, frowned, and said: "Only one of these two girls will live."
"That's right." Eye of Puzzle explains: "You saving Dorothy means you are dead. However, if you want to save Arine, then you must trade; you have no other choice."
"You owe me a life; letting you live until now and giving you the right to choose is my favour towards you."
"Or... you can leave both of these girls and move on. After all, you and these two girls are not very close."
"Think carefully, you..."
"Enough!" Lathel angrily shouted: "I want both of these girls to live, you can set the conditions."
Eye of Puzzle heard that and smiled contemptuously: "Hahahaha... you are truly a stupid person."
When Dorothy and Arine heard his words, they felt both pain and warmth in their hearts.
A man who had only met them today was willing to trade his life to save them. Even if they checked the whole world, they might not be able to find a second man who could do this.